New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) Former India captain Mithali Raj lauded Delhi Capitals’ recent win against Mumbai Indians and highlighted skipper Jemimah Rodrigues’ composed, match-winning knock under pressure while also assessing the tough road ahead for MI against an in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
DC clinched a seven-wicket victory over MI in the 13th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Tuesday as the defending champions suffered their fourth defeat in the tournament.
“I think this win will do a great deal for Delhi Capitals, especially Jemimah Rodrigues, the batter. As we discussed in the pre-show, it was so important for her to get those runs from her bat, and she stood tall despite losing partners at the other end,” Mithali told JioStar.
“She stitched vital partnerships with Laura Wolvaardt and then with Marizanne Kapp. It was really good to see her play her natural game on a wicket like this. I did mention earlier that this was a surface where I felt Jemimah Rodrigues would score runs, and she did exactly that. She took her time when she came in, played her usual drives, and then cut loose with the cuts, scoop shots, and reverse sweeps.
“She didn’t get the first reverse sweep right, but the second one went for a boundary, which was absolutely crucial in terms of the run-ball equation. She targeted the shorter boundary well and was aware of the field placements the bowlers were setting. She handled a lot of pressure and, importantly, stayed there to take the team across the line,” she added.
DC’s win was powered by Rodrigues’ calm and perfectly paced unbeaten 51, which lifted them from the bottom of the table into a four-way tie on four points behind already-qualified RCB.
DC’s chase of 155 runs began in stark contrast, with Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee racing to 57 without loss in the powerplay. Momentum stalled in the middle overs, however, as boundaries dried up and both openers were dismissed in quick succession. Rodrigues then took charge, anchoring the innings through a tense phase alongside Laura Wolvaardt. After the Protea captain fell to a slice of misfortune, the DC skipper shifted gears late, striking timely boundaries and a crucial six.
In the end, Rodrigues fittingly guided DC home, finishing unbeaten on 51 as Kapp hit the winning six off Nat Sciver-Brunt, sealing a momentum-shifting victory for Delhi Capitals.
On the partnership between Lee and Rodrigues, the former India skipper said, “I was quite impressed with both batters. This is not an ideal wicket where you can come in and immediately play big shots, but they still managed to find the boundaries. Mumbai Indians’ bowlers were a bit guilty, as the first over from almost every bowler was down the leg side, and the batters made full use of those loose deliveries.
"Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma capitalised well during the powerplay, to the extent that it never felt like they really had to run hard for singles. In the last few games, this is the kind of start Delhi Capitals have been looking for in the powerplay, and it played a major role in giving them the win.”
Speaking of the Mumbai Indians’ next challenge against the unbeaten RCB, Mithali said, “RCB have found the right form from the very first game of the tournament and have won five matches on the trot. Mumbai Indians still have to play RCB, a team they have already lost to, so there are some tough challenges ahead for them.”
--IANS
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